Priest ordained and two professed at Belmont

Bishop Tom Burns of Menevia ordains Dom Andrew Berry as a priest in the abbey church at Belmont

Belmont Abbey was the scene of the ordination to the priesthood of Dom Andrew Berry, monk of the same monastery, on June 24

Belmont Abbey was the scene of the ordination to the priesthood of Dom Andrew Berry, monk of the same monastery, on June 24.

The ordaining bishop was Bishop Tom Burns of Menevia and he was joined by more than 50 priests from Belmont and other monasteries as well as from various dioceses of England and Wales.

Dom Andrew Berry comes from Bolton, Lancashire, and is a convert to the Catholic Church.
Although he had studied theology before joining the monastery eight years’ ago, he completed his studies for the priesthood at St Mary’s College, Oscott, West Midlands.

He was joined for the occasion by members of his family, most notably his grandmother of 87, and many friends and parishioners.

Dom Andrew celebrated his first Mass the following day at Belmont.

In addition to Dom Andrew there are seven other young Benedictines of Belmont in various stages of formation and five more at Belmont’s foundation in Peru.

Abbot Paul Stonham said: “While congratulating Fr Andrew on his ordination, we also give thanks to God for his generosity in bringing so many vocations to Belmont, where they will serve both the monastic community and the wider Church.”

Men who feel they are called to the monastic life should write to the Abbot of Belmont.
The abbot also said: “Yesterday [June 29] we had two professions, so the Lord is truly being good to us.”

The monastery was founded as Belmont Priory in 1859.

A move to transfer the training of monks to the individual monasteries of the English Benedictine Congregation led to Belmont being allowed to take its own novices in 1901, and become an independent house in 1917.

In 1920 Belmont was raised to the rank of an abbey by the papal bull Praeclara Gesta.